Katherine Claypole portrait

Portrait of Mrs. Katherine B. Claypole of Akron, Ohio. Claypole (1846-1901) was included on the "Ohio State Honor Roll" from the League of Women Voters of Ohio, ca. 1930, which listed prominent Ohio women involved in the suffrage movement. Her brief biography from the Honor Roll reads: "Katherine Benedicta Claypole (Mrs. Edward W.) Mrs. Claypole, of Akron, who did pioneer suffrage work for many years in Ohio and who was secretary of the Ohio Suffrage Association at the time the Ohio School bill was passed, was a member of the National American Woman's Suffrage Association, the Ohio State Suffrage Association, and the American Association for the advancement of Science." This photograph comes from the League of Women Voters of Ohio Collection. The League of Women Voters was first formed at the national level in early 1920 by Carrie Chapman Catt, President of the National Woman Suffrage Association. Soon, additional leagues began to form at the state and local level, with the League of Women Voters of Ohio being organized in May 1920 in Columbus. The League was first formed to empower women to use their newfound right to vote, and today its primary purpose remains citizen education. To this goal, it supports voter registration efforts, provides information on candidates and issues, sponsors debates and offers publications on public policy and voter engagement topics